The other way round
by JuleZH
Summary: What if it had been the other way round? The Dursleys die while Dudley is still a baby and he grows up with the Potters. Oneshot.


**The other way round**

A shrill ringing sound shook James Potter awake. It took him a few seconds to place the strange sound. They'd only installed a telephone into their house because it had been one of the few Muggle things Lily had insisted on when they had renovated their Godric's Hollow House.

Now he quickly deposited the baby boy who had been slumbering on his chest in the crib in the living room. Carefully he lifted the receiver from the old-fashioned telephone on the wall in the kitchen.

"James Potter." He spoke uncertainly into the strange device. He had only used the telephone once or twice when Lily had instructed him on how to use it. James was brought out of his thoughts by the voice on the other side of the line. "Am I talking to the husband of one Lily Pose Potter?"

"Yes" James Potter replied not quite sure how loud he should speak "She's upstairs at the moment. Wait a second and I'll call her." Covering the receiver with his left hand he hollered up the stairs "Lily, there's someone on the telephone for you!" Promptly Harry began to cry in the living room.

"Coming!" Lily yelled as she jumped down the stairs two at a time.

Gratefully James handed the receiver over to his wife and went into the living room to calm his agitated son.

"How can I help you?" Lily was still slightly out of breath from her run down the stairs her long ginger hair still damp from the shower she had just taken.

"Am I talking to Lily Rose Potter, née Evans?" The voice on the other side replied.

"Yes." Lily was surprised by the official tone of the man. In general it was highly unusual for anyone to call them. Lily was in fact quite sure that (apart from Sirius who sometimes prank-called them) her sister Petunia was the only one to even have the number … and she hadn't heard from her sister in forever.

"My name is Officer Gleason. We found your number in the papers of your sister Petunia Daisy Dursley, née Evans." Now Lily was truly surprised. "Your sister and her husband Vernon Dursley have been in an accident earlier today. I'm sorry to inform you that neither of them survived the car crash." Lily couldn't supress the small sob that escaped her. A single tear rolled down her cheek. True, she hadn't been very close with her sister and they hadn't had any real contact in years, but still … Petunia was her sister.

Suddenly she felt her husband's presence behind her. He stood behind her their baby boy comfortably nestled onto his shoulder a hand on her shaking shoulder.

When Lily had calmed down somewhat the officer continued speaking: "Their son was with them in the car when it happened." Lily had to think for a moment before she remembered her nephew's name: Dudley. She had never actually met the boy, but knew that he must be about her own son's age, probably a few months older. She had only learned of his existence as a reaction to the birth announcement they'd sent Petunia and Vernon after little Harry's birth. In response Petunia had sent a small letter to her sister in which she congratulated Lily on the birth of her boy, but she had also made it absolutely clear that she didn't want any contact between their Dudley and little Harry.

"And how is he?" Lily asked anxiously – he was after all an innocent little boy.

"Surprisingly enough he survived with only a minor cut on his forehead where he was hit with a piece of flying glass from the broken windscreen." After the small pause the man added: "It was really just like magic. The whole car was destroyed and the small boy came out of it nearly unscratched."

Quickly Lily threw a questioning look at her husband – could it be that their nephew … But, no, that wasn't important now.

"And where is the child now?" Lily quickly asked.

"Dudley Dursley was discharged from the hospital today in the afternoon. He was temporarily placed with his aunt, Mr Vernon Dursley's sister Marge Dursley. However …" the officer's voice wavered slightly "to tell you the truth, Mrs Potter, Ms Marge Dursley is in no way fit to take care of a small, probably traumatized orphan boy."

James who was still standing behind Lily couldn't supress a small snort. The only time he had met Marge Dursley had been when they'd been invited to Vernon and Petunia's wedding. The obese woman had a moustache nearly as impressive as the one in her brother's face and everywhere she went she was followed by her ugly slobbering bulldog Ripper. Marge Dursley wasn't fit to take care of a hamster, let alone a baby boy.

In the meantime the man on the other side of the line had continued talking: "Among the papers of Petunia Dursley we also found her last will. Your sister has clearly stated there that, in case that anything should ever happen to her and her husband, her son was to be placed with you, her sister Lily Potter and your husband." Now Lily was truly astonished. Ever since the day she had received her Hogwarts letter on her eleventh birthday, her sister Petunia had done everything in her power to distance herself from her 'abnormal' sister … and now she should be responsible for the most important thing in her sister's life, her son."

"Ehm, Mrs Potter … would you be willing to take your nephew in? Because otherwise we will have to find another suitable place in the public child care system for little Dudley." Lily didn't really have to look at James to see him nod his head.

So it came that Harry and Dudley grew up together as brothers. By the time they could walk and talk the small, scrawny raven-haired boy and the larger blonde boy with the conspicuous scar on his forehead were already completely inseparable. Where there was one you would also inevitably find the other.

Thanks to Dudley, Harry, unlike many other wizarding children who tended to rather be home-schooled by their parents, went to the 'normal' Muggle elementary school in Goodric's Hollow. The boys grew and soon more and more Muggle devices found their way into the Potter household: a TV, two Gameboys, Walkmans and tapes …

The summer before the boys turned eleven was at the same time a hilarious and sad time for the Potter family. After the holidays the boys would for the first time be separated from each other for a longer period of time ever since the day they'd taken Dudley in. While Harry would be off to Hogwarts, Dudley would go to a rather prestigious Muggle boarding school.

They'd never suspected that Dudley could even have the slightest bit of magic in him. So it came as a big surprise to everyone in the room when on Harry's birthday not only one, but two thick yellow envelopes with the Hogwarts crest lay on the doormat of the small cottage in Godric's Hollow. One of them was addressed to Mr Harry James Potter and the other one to a certain Mr. Dudley Vernon Dursley-Potter. All was well for all four members of the extended Potter-Dursley-family.


End file.
